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BP FALLON GETS EVEN MORE STONED

THE ROLLING STONES AT THE BEACON THEATRE continued...

Sunday’s Beacon Theatre show was a charity event in honour of the 60th birthday of Bill Clinton, who came with his wife Hilary. “I’d like to welcome President Clinton”, Jagger quipped, “and I see she’s brought her husband”. And afterwards there’s Ronnie and, uh, Bill talking art and Bill’s asking Ronnie who's already given him a couple of pictures to paint his portrait.

Wednesday’s highlights: As Tears Go By, with Keith perched on a stool playing acoustic guitar. Faraway Eyes with Ronnie on pedal steel and Mick and Keith sharing a mic and smiles as they harmonise on the "If you're downriiiight... disgusted...and life ain't worth a dime..." chorus like two twinkling old hillbillys who still love each other. Magic.

Martin Scorcese – blues freak and maker of The Last Waltz - is filming this intimate-by-Stones-standards gig, 17 cameras aimed at the stage with another roving lens in the hands of Gimme Shelter filmmaker Albert Maysles. So they bung on a few special guests to further flog the DVD.

“Here’s one we learnt from Muddy Waters” says Jagger as support star Buddy Guy guests on Champagne And Reefer. “Give me champagne when I’m thirsty, give me reefer when I want to get high!” Sir Mick sings with his blues king Buddy. “We haven’t played in a theatre since 1964” Mick lies before the ensemble burst into the soulstirring Tempts classic Just My Imagination.

Jack White has already been on, towering only in height above the suddenly-dwarfish MJ as they duet on the countried Loving Cup and now, good Lord, it’s Christine Aguilera in black stockings and a white skimpy half-hooker half-schoolgirl vibe prancing about like a a less medicated Liza Minnelli and a goat on speed. The girl’s got a great voice – great pipes – but she over-sings and over-emotes and throttles Live With Me and Jagger ever the professional dutifully rubs himself against her undulating arse… all in the name of showbusiness, of course. Christina’s enjoying her triumph with these Rolling Stones fellows and skips up to Keith for more fun and frolics - whereupon this face like a nicotine-stained walnut glares a death-ray of “WHATHEFUCKAREYOUDOINGONMYSTSAGE!” at her before it turns to Ronnie and the two twangers cackle like errant schoolboys.

From the crow’s nest of the top balcony, like a chopper pilot or God, you can see the whole boogaloo from above, right to – behind the amps on the naked stage – an army of black-clad technicians and tuners and lined up neatly in their flight cases more guitars than there are Uzis in Israel.

And downstairs all through the concert there's a ribbon of cute young women leaping up and down right up against the front of the stage, their arms in the air and toothpaste smiles and honey-blonde hair a go go. Not feral young chicks with their tits hanging out and their pussies moist but nice girls, y’understand. This is how they got there – a wild story [and cool blurry phone pix].

And the moment that’s a particular pleasure to treasure: Ronnie Wood on slide guitar and Keef out front alone at the mic, no guitar, a big long black coat on him so he looks more than ever the highwayman scarecrow, whispy hair under his scarf thingy resembling an abandoned bird’s nest, his magnetic face a million shipwrecks that have risen from the darkness to a new light thank God, hand on the mic-stand as that rust-caked voice croons “You got my heart, you got my soul, you got the silver…” and then he’s announcing with a chuckle “Here’s one I used to do with The Winos” and now with a guitar danglin’ off him and Charlie whacking the drums and Ronnie stinging like a bee it’s Keef Riff Hard the electric cobra dancing into Connection, “Connection, I just can’t make no connection!”. Yes y’can, y’bastard.

Fuck yeah.

Photos by + © BPF from The BPF Stones Archive:
Keef Riff Hard The Academy NYC am Jan 1 1993 from BPF’s book U2 Faraway So Close; BP DJed this New Year’s Eve show which was broadcast live in America by ABC TV | The Stones at Hyde Park London 1969; note BP Fallon – knees tucked under folded arms as he surveys the scene of band and 500,000 punters – sitting on the sound tower behind Jagger. Photographer unknown | Keith and then The Rolling Stones SBC Park San Francisco 2005 | Brian Jones in drag on stage with The Stones Nassau Coliseum 1994 | Ronnie and Leah Wood and a bit of Bernard Fowler at Lillie’s Bordello Dublin after The Stones gig at The Point 2003 | Mixing desk Luzhniki Stadium Moscow 1998

BPF thanks Radek

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